


If You Can't Trust Your Friends (Then Who Can You Trust)

by EideticPrettyBoySpence



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:41:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25481833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EideticPrettyBoySpence/pseuds/EideticPrettyBoySpence
Summary: This story comes from 7x1-7x2
Relationships: Spencer Reid/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	If You Can't Trust Your Friends (Then Who Can You Trust)

A few days later Spencer invites Derek and Garcia to go with us to a classic horror night at a local movie theatre. But little did I know Derek would end up inviting Seaver to come along with us. I suppose I couldn't really blame him, it wasn't like I had told him how she was always flirting with Spencer. Not that he would have noticed it even if I had told him though. "When the movie was over we all walk out of the theatre together, discussing the movie. It was an older horror film with terrible special effects, but still sort of terrifying. Although Seaver of course tried to walk next to Spencer so she could flirt, I inserted myself between them and slipped my hand in his.

"Unnecessary. There's too much blood and gore and ew," Penelope says.

"Garcia, it's a slasher film. How do you do a slasher film without violence?" Spencer asks.

"You imply it."

"Baby, the movie is called 'Slice 6'," Derek says. "What were you expecting?"

"A refreshing beverage with a twist of comedy. I'm gonna have nightmares for a week."

"With everything we do and see on a daily basis, that got to you?" Seaver asks.

"Listen, newb, you may be all Sigourney Weaver ass-kicking tough, which is awesome, but the mystical mavens of innocence like myself jump at things that go bump in the night."

"Why are you worried? I'm sure that Morgan will protect you," Spencer says. "As long as he's not jumping out of his seat like a prepubescent schoolgirl."

"The only reason I jumped is cause you guys woke me up."

"How could you sleep during that?" Penelope says.

"Easy. You drag me out after a twelve-hour workday- for what? You're telling me that girl didn't know that the unsub was waiting for her upstairs? Come on, now."

"Villain," Spencer and I say at the same time.

"What?"

"In movies, unsubs are called villains," Spencer says.

"My bad," Derek says, causing me to burst into laughter.

"You wanna know why horror movies are so successful?"

"Why is that, genius?"

"They prey on our instinctual need to survive. In tribal days, a woman's scream would signal danger and then men would return from hunting to protect their pack. That's why it's always the women and not the men who fall victim to the bogeyman."

"Count on you, Reid, to break a movie down to science," Seaver says, and I scowl in her direction.

"My favorite part about horror movies is the suspense factor," Penelope says.

"Ah, the ticking clock," Spencer says.

"The helpless victim walks through the dark... shadows reaching out to get her."

"A sudden noise draws her attention. Is someone there, or is it just in her head?"

"Still, it's totally unrealistic," Penelope says in her regular voice. "No one should be walking through a dark alley by themselves at night."

"Ahem, hello," Derek says.

"Ah, no one should be walking through a dark alley without a Derek Morgan by their side."

"But the best part of a horror movie- you never know when the end is gonna come," Spencer says.

Things were pretty routine for a few weeks other than Seaver leaving. But then one day Hotch tells us Doyle was finally found. Spencer wants me to stay behind because I was pregnant and Hotch agreed. So all I can do is wait and pray that he doesn't take anyone else from me. It was three days of hell waiting for my boyfriend and my family to come home. But then Penelope got a text from Derek saying they were in the elevator on the way upstairs. I ran down the hallway from the batcave as fast as I could, which admittedly wasn't very fast since I was pregnant. My heart soared as the door opened and I saw Spencer right in front. He stepped off the elevator and strode right over to me, cupping my face in his hands and kissing me until I was out of breath before he pulled away. "Did you get him?" "Yeah, we got him. It's over." "And Declan?" "We haven't found him, yet. That's why he's here." I look around Spencer to see Ian Doyle in the elevator, hands cuffed and Derek holding his arm. I step aside so they can walk to an interrogation room, and I follow behind him to listen to what Doyle has to say. The men are silent for a moment before Doyle speaks. "Forgotten where I've been, agent? Places far worse than this." "Doyle, where's Declan?" "Don't play dumb. You found him a month before I did," Doyle replies to Derek's question."He's living in that lovely little house our friend set up for him. Should have found him sooner. Finally remembered she likes cul-de-sacs." "Where is Declan right now? You expect me to believe you had nothing to do with his abduction?" "And you expect me to believe this isn't part of the strategy? You tell me my son is missing when I know he was safe a few hours ago? You'll have to get more creative." "Listen to me, you son of a bitch. I am not playing games with you. If you care about anybody other than yourself, you give me a list of who would have done this." "Why would anyone take Declan?" "You tell me." "No one even knows he exists." "Someone does. Because when we followed you to that little rat trap, someone took him from his house. Somebody else was watching you, Doyle. Now tell me who." "I don't know. I don't." "Your son is missing. So think." "I don't know." After that I head back to the bullpen to help Penelope analyze the security cam footage and search for Declan. I sit down just as she rewinds it another time. We see a man with pantyhose over his face shut off the camera. "Rossi it's us," I dial his number. "There's just one ninja-like guy." "You sure?" "Yeah he came out of nowhere and just clipped the camera. I'm sorry," Penelope says. "Don't worry, Garcia. You two were busy looking for Doyle." After we hang up we compile a list of Doyle's enemies, which is a long list that we narrow down to top ten. Then we get a call from Hotch who had finally arrived, so we head to the round table room to talk to him. He's examining our case board but turns when we walk in. "Welcome back, Sir," I greet him. "What have you got?" "A top ten list of Doyle's enemies," Garcia says. "Anybody recently in the States?" 'Richard Gerace's been here a few weeks. He's a low-level gun-runner who angrily crossed paths with Doyle," I answer. "We caught an image of him on the surveillance camera at Declan's house, confirmed it was him through a scar on his neck." "All right. Get me everything you can on Gerace." "Yeah. What we just told you is everything we've got." After a few more minutes Hotch gathers everyone together in the round table room. Spencer raises an eyebrow at me and I shrug in answer. None of us have any idea of the bomb that our team leader was about to drop on us. Or how much we would all resent him and JJ for what they were about to tell us, what secret they'd been keeping from us for almost a year. But we were about to find out. "You get anywhere on Doyle?" Spencer asks Derek. "Doyle doesn't think Gerace has the guts to take him on." "But that's definitely Gerace on the tape," Garcia answers. "Welcome back," Derek tells Hotch as he walks in. "Thanks. Everybody have a seat." "Why? What's going on? Everything all right?" "Seven months ago I made a decision that affected this team. As you all know, Emily had lost a lot of blood after her fight with Doyle. The doctors were able to stabilize her," Hotch says, continuing after a pause." And she was airlifted from boston to Bethesda under a covert exfiltration. Her identity was strictly need-to-know. And she stayed there until she was well enough to travel. She was reassigned to Paris where she was given several identities. None of which we had access to for her security." "She's alive?" I say softly. "But we buried her," the betrayal in Spencer's voice breaks my heart. "As I said, I take full responsibility for the decision," Hotch says. "If anyone has any issues, they should be directed toward me." "Any issues? Yeah, I got issues," I say as my boyfriend's hand tightens on mine. "Oh my god," Penelope whispers, and we turn around. Spencer is the first one on his feet with me right behind him. He stares at Emily for a minute before rushing into her arms. The rest of us hug her after that, and Spencer pulls me into his arms and holds me tight. He's shaking and I can tell he's hurt, angry and betrayed. "I am so sorry. I really am. Not a day went by that I didn't want to... really, I- you didn't deserve that. And I am so sorry," Emily says. "There is so much I wanna tell you guys. And I will. I promise. But right now I really need to know what's going on with Declan." "Emily, was there a man living at the house?" Spencer asks. "Yes, my friend Tom Koehler. He was raising Declan as his own." "Where is he?" JJ asks. "I never saw him go in or out of that house," Penelope says. "Neither did I," I chime in. "He was on assignment overseas." "But he's alright?" "Yes. He's on his way back now. He got a call from Declan, he called me, and when I landed, Hotch told me that you had Doyle in custody." "And because of his line of work, that's why you enrolled Declan in a boarding school," Hotch says. "I made sure that he, Louise and I were the only ones allowed to take him off campus." "Louise took him home last night because he was sick," Spencer says. "Food poisoning," Hotch adds. "Yeah, a few of the kids had it apparently. So whoever did this got to him on campus. They knew they only had one chance." "Current suspect is is Richard Gerace. He's the most recent arrival into the States," JJ says. "We've been tracking his progress through the city, but we came up empty." "We know it's him because he has the scar," I say. "That doesn't make sense. Gerace gave up on Doyle a long time ago." "He said you were the only one who knew Gerace," Rossi says. "Which is why I'm pretty sure he doesn't have the balls to pull this off. There was no forced entry at the house?" "I had two agents working security," Derek says. "We think Gerace and his partner posed as the next shift and one of the agents was a woman," Spencer says. "She's the alpha," Emily says. "So we're looking for a woman who's getting back at Doyle," JJ says. "And our suspect list just got a whole lot longer." Penelope and I head to the batcave and JJ and Emily follow. The list of every woman Doyle's ever been with is long- way longer than I'm comfortable with. Penelope obviously shares my disgust as we look at the fifteen women. "Doyle had relationships with all of these women?" she asks Emily. "'Most'. Hey, can you shoot these into the round table room for me?" "Anything you say, visitor Prentiss," Penelope smiles up at he "Hey, I better go with her. Spencer is- he's not handling this well." "These women are associates of Doyle's who may have crossed paths with Gerace," Emily was saying as I walk into the room. I stand next to Spencer and he automatically takes my hand. "Anyone have a deeper personal connection with Doyle?" Derek asks. "Whoever took Declan showed a lot of rage at the nanny," Hotch says. "She had been with Doyle since before Declan was born." "The nanny represents a caregiver, a mother figure," Spencer says. "Who is Declan's mother?" "Doyle told me she was dead." After Emily got Declan's mother's name out of Doyle, Penelope and I search for her. It wasn't long until we found her- walking right into Declan's boarding school. You'd think with all the money Emily was paying, they would have better security. "She brought tainted cupcakes to the boarding school and just walked right in," Derek says. "Oh, that is creepy," Penelope says. "We thought Doyle was bad, check her out," Rossi comments. "Yeah, she ran an international prostitution ring before moving on to chemicals," JJ says. "Distribution and trafficking, manufacturing, possession, weapons charges?" Spencer asks. "Went away for three years," Derek says. "That's it?" "She hardly seems like the mothering type," I say bitterly. "Why would she take Declan?" "It wasn't love. Forgetting the international ties for a minute, what would these unsubs do?" Hotch says as Emily leaves the room. "You know, statistically the abduction of a child by its mother, no matter the psychological disposition of said mother, would be of low risk to her child," Spencer says. "She's got plenty of connections. She could go underground," I say. "Is there anywhere in the U.S. where Chloe and Doyle had a history?" Rossi asks. "No, but they do have a lot of ties in Europe," I say. "Doyle came up with associates of Chloe's wh have healthy bank accounts," Emily says as she comes back. "He thinks it's a trade?" JJ asks. "For what, weapons, drugs?" Penelope says. "Does it matter?" "Garcia, run these names," Hotch says. "See if any have local connections." "Yeah. What else should we be looking for, you guys?" Penelope asks. "Secluded properties," Rossi says as I type. "A legitimate business that requires international bank accounts and trade," Derek says. "It could be mundane," Spencer adds. "They survive under the radar." "Garcia, start with Irish backgrounds. This type of feud could go back generations." "Oh. It looks like the Doyles and the McDermotts have a thing," I say. "What kind of thing?" "Ian Doyle murdered Jimmy McDermott, but his younger brother Lachlan owns an import company," Penelope says. "Do they ship internationally?" Hotch asks. "You know it. He has three warehouses, one of which is slated to be demolished," I reply. "Where?" "Inner Harbor, Baltimore." "Let's go." Spencer asks to stay behind with me and Hotch agrees after seeing my fear of this woman. He hugs me and I hear him murmur a thank you as the team leaves to go find Declan. We talk for a while, Spencer rubbing my stomach absently. We don't talk about anything really important, just random things. Everything from baby names and nursery themes to the case and info dumps. After a while we go into the viewing room and watch to see if Ian is squirming yet. We put as much distance between Emily and ourselves as we can. After a while Spencer's phone rings and he pick it up. He listens for a while before he hangs up and looks over at me as he does so. "Declan's disappeared. They had him at the warehouse, but now they're gone," I follow him into the interrogation room. "Your ex is working with Lachlan McDermott. How would he leave the country?" "I don't know. He's got endless funds. You'll never stop him." "He hates you, doesn't he?" "More than you do." "Then I think we should give him what he really wants. You." m "No, we are not letting him out of there, Reid," Emily bursts into the room. "Emily, I will chain myself to him if I have to." "He'll find a way to escape." "No he won't, and we're running out of time. If we find McDermott now, we have a chance to save Declan." Doyle tells us the McDermott family imported weapons to a private airfield in Maryland. So Emily goes to Director Strauss to ask for her support on what we have to do. I slip inside the interrogation room because I don't feel comfortable leaving Spence alone with Doyle. When Hotch, Derek, and JJ come back to the BAU, we load Doyle up in the helicopter and fly to the airfield. I put myself between Doyle and Spencer, and end up falling asleep on his shoulder. When we land he wakes me up and I kiss him softly before I let him go. I climb out of the helicopter after he's too far away to stop me and take my gun out and hold it at the ready in case I need it. We hear a gunshot from the other jet and after a few minutes the jet's stairs open and Lachlan steps out holding Declan at gunpoint. He shouts over to us to bring Doyle over to him. Emily and Spencer walk him over, and my heart skips a beat as he walks away. "I want him here on his knees!" Lachlan shouts. "Hotch, are we really gonna do this?" Morgan says over coms. "No one leaves here," Hotch replies. It seems like everything is going according to plan until Declan's mother stumbles out. She raises a gun and I shout a warning, but she's still able to get a shot off before Spencer shoots him. I can't help but cry watching Declan and Ian together as his father dies. Ian may have been a monster, but he was still his father. No matter how little time they had together, now Declan has no one else alive. After a few minutes my boyfriend turns around and sees me standing there. He glances over at Hotch, who nods, and he jogs over to me. "Little girl, what are you doing?" Spencer says. "I needed- I wanted to- I'm sorry Spencer." "It's okay, baby, I understand. I would have done the same thing." I dress in my nicest dress, and Spencer dresses in khakis, a purple shirt and a vest with an awesome pattern on it. I pace back and forth as we wait until Spencer takes my hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of it softly. At first they call us in one at a time. JJ is first and the rest of us are forced to wait even longer to be called. Spencer sits on one of the benches and sits next to me so I don't get too tired. 

"Why aren't we in there?" he asks.

"They're just trying to intimidate us," Rossi replies.

"Well, that's not about to happen," Derek says.

After a while Director Strauss walks over to us and sits on the other side of me. She offers me a mint and then leans over me to offer one to my boyfriend. We both decline and then Spencer looks over at Emily as she reappears from somewhere and Strauss follows his gaze.

"At least you've got her back," she says.

"Do we?" he counters.

Finally I venture to ask the Director if Spencer and I can talk to the Senate Committee together. She said she would see what we could do, and must have pulled the right strings. Because when Spencer was called they called me to come in with him. We walk up the aisle to the table in front of the committee and sit down, Spencer's hand finding itself into mine less than a minute after we sit down.

"You were the one who suggested Ian Doyle be released," the chairman says.

"I am."

"And you're the only agent who has not requested reinstatement to the unit."

"Mm-hm."

"Was the decision to release Ian Doyle a personal one?"

"A young boy's life was at stake. I ran the probability of his survival and it wasn't good. If you want to punish me for taking a risk, then I encourage you to do that, but do not put the rest of my team on trial for something that I suggested."

"You need to calm down, agent."

"This is calm, and it's doctor," his tone makes me bite my lip.

"The United States government is not in the business of trading captives."

"New York City, July 2010, referred to as the Spy Swap. Igor-"

"That's enough."

"You can't just change the rules, sir."

"And you just can't break them."

After the Senate Committee tak to Spencer and me, they call the whole team in and I can only assume that means this is almost over.

"This team took many unprecedented risks. None were approved. The diog has rules, and you chose to ignore every last one, the committee forman says once we're all seated. "That's blatant disrespect to the Bureau and to the authority of law in general. What I find interesting is that you are the experts in behavior but find nothing wrong with yours."

"May I? The journey was not traditional, but this team neutralized four international criminals and saved the life of a young boy in the process." Emily says.

"You started a was with Ian Doyle years ago that this team and the U.S. government had to finish. The rest of you are dismissed. Agent Prentiss, we're not done."

After the hearing we head back to the BAU to grab our stuff and head home. We see Emily looking at her portrait on the wall of the fallen. Spencer, Derek and I stop next to the rest of the team. Then Derek walks away, and Hotch follows him and calls his name.

"Morgan. I know what you've been through," Hotch says as Derek stops walking and turns back to him. "I understand that you're angry, but I hope that you understand that this is not about you or me. This was about saving Emily."

"We need to talk," Strauss says as she comes back.

"The committee made it clear they will not support a rogue team," she says as we enter the round table room. "Agent Prentiss convinced them you were not that. They will be watching you closely. So I suggest you play by their rules."

"So we're okay," Penelope says, and I slip my hand in hers.

"Suspension is lifted for everyone."

"Thank you, ma'am," JJ says.

"There may be more paperwork, considering your... situation, but the team is lucky to have you," she says to Emily. "If you're interested."

"May I think about it?"

"Of course."

"I'm in."

"I have a stack of cases on my desk. I'm happy to pas them along."

"I'll pick them up in the morning," Hotch says.

"Emily, uh... what did you tell them?" Morgan says as Strauss leaves.

"I told them that the only people who could pull this off are on this team. That we take our oath seriously, and we get results."

After we talk and catch up for a while, everyone goes home for the night. Spencer drops his go bag on the chair by the door. I can tell he's still angry, hurt, and betrayed over what happened. I lead him to the couch and he sits on it slowly. I sit next to him and massage the tension from his shoulders. A muscle in his jaw jumps as he grits his teeth and his eyes shine with tears. 

"I mourned her, Nyssa, for ten weeks I cried for her. I went to JJ's house for ten weeks in a row, and not once did she say anything."

"Spencer I know, trust me. I was there, I mourned her too. I know how bad it was for you though."

"I wanted to start taking Dilaudid again, just so I could make the pain stop. I even thought about-"

"Baby, I know. I'm furious with them too. If you would have done what you wanted to do, I would have never forgiven Hotch."

We don't have very long to sleep before we get a text from Hotch about a new case. I grab Spencers CalTech sweatshirt and put it on since it's starting to get cold outside. I know Derek will tease me about it, but I don't care. It's nothing new, it's just what brothers do. I know he's happy Spencer and I are together, he's told me so more than once. He hated seeing Spencer lonely before I came along. Once we get off the elevator, we see Emily and JJ walking toward the bullpen. She calls out to us but we basically blow her off. "Hey, where have you two been? I wanted to do brunch this weekend." "We had to deal with some stuff with my mom," Spencer says by way of answer. "Have you seen Garcia?" "Uh, she's with Rossi," I hear JJ talking to Emily as we walk away. "He hates me." "Mm, he was just busy. Let it go." "Okay, you can be honest. I can take it," I hear Penelope talking to Rossi. "Okay. I prefer my pasta al dente, and the pancetta was a little weird." Oh. That's cause it's tofu." "Tofu? I give you my recipe and you do an improv?" "No, no, I followed it down to the micron, aside from the pig," Penelope replies exasperatedly. "Look master of all things Italian, I am having a Fellini festival at my house this weekend and I must serve the beautiful food of his country." "Maybe you should show a Disney film and stick with burgers." "You know, Rossi, you could always give Penelope a cooking lesson," Derek says as we sit next to him. "Oh, my gosh, that would be amazing. That would be like- that would be like the Iron Chef meets the BAU. And we could do it at your house." "I don't have a house. I have a mansion." "All right, let's get started," Hotch interrupts. JJ passes Garcia the remote and she takes it to start the briefing. We all open our files and look through them. "All right, mes amis. You are jetting to Durant, Oklahoma, because in the last three days, two women have been found dead after being sexually tortured and then blinded with a sulfuric acid solution. Abby Elcott is our first victim, nineteen-year-old art student. She was heading to campus for an advanced drawing class. She'd been missing for two days. Same goes for our second victim, Beth Westerly, seventeen. She had just finished her coffee shop shift and was on her way to a bar method class." "Both low-risk victims," Emily says. "And physically similar," Derek adds. "How close are the two abduction sites," Rossi asks Penelope. "Five miles apart at bus stops." "Abby's cell was found near one, Beth's scarf near the other," I add. "Where are the dump sites?" Spencer asks. "One in an alley, other in a field," Penelope answers. "So he stapled their eyes open then he blinded them," JJ says. "It's about power and control. Maybe he didn't want them to watch while he hurt them," Derek says. "Or it could be about shame. Perhaps the unsub is disfigured himself," Spencer points out. "Blinding the victims leaves them helpless, lost, totally dependent. It may be a manifestation of how he sees himself in this world." "It is a form of enucleation, just without the scalpel," Emily adds. "His face is the last they see before darkness," Rossi says. "Garcia, come up with a list of jobs that would give the unsub access to sulfuric acid. The rest of us, wheels up in thirty minutes," Hotch says as he stands up and gathers his things. When we board the jet I sit next to Spencer on the couch as everyone else sits in the chairs. I open the notes app on my tablet and Spencer takes a notepad and pen out of his bag. I flip through the crime scene photos and the pictures of the girls who were murdered. "Victimology is very similar. Blond-haired, blue-eyed teenage girls," Hotch observes. "We believe they were both abducted near public transportation stops," JJ says. "When was this photo taken?" Emily pulls out a photo of Beth. "Beth was caught on a bank surveillance camera three hours before she disappeared. That's a recent photo of Abby," Derek answers. "So she wasn't found in the same clothes she was abducted in," I say. "Maybe he changed them because hers were burned by the sulfuric acid," Rossi says. "It's possible. Sulfuric acid can turn human flesh into soap," Spencer answers him. "Garcia, any recent similar cases in the surrounding area?" Hotch asks. "Actually, yes. Two months ago a prostitute and a runaway were both found raped and killed and they had stab wounds to their eyes." "So maybe he practiced on high-risk victims first," JJ says. "And then advanced to chemical enucleation," Derek adds. "Isn't that a rare paraphilia?" I ask. "Well, the chemical part is," Emily answers. " It would exacerbate the pain." "Like Ed Kemper, he's probably practicing on surrogates before going after the real object of his rage," Rossi says. "Dave, you and I will talk to the parents. Morgan and Prentiss, go to the disposal sites," Hotch instructs. "JJ, you, Johnson and Reid go to the abduction sites." "So Beth got off the bus here and headed northwest toward class," Spencer says when we get to her bus stop. "It's amazing no one witnessed her abduction," JJ says as I take his hand. "Emily was buried six feet under and wound up in Paris, so I guess anything's possible, right?" Spencer says sarcastically. "So that is what this is about," she replies. Maybe our unsub's a little bit like Bundy," my boyfriend ignores her. "He feigns injury in order to get her to help him." "Look, Spence, if you want to talk about this-" "Maybe he tried other tactics, like, 'wow, you're really pretty. You should be a model. I can take your photo.'" "I'll take that as a no." "Either one would disarm her." "Charm is quite the killer," I say, also ignoring JJ. "So are tears. Whatever his ruse was, the unsub most likely used it to get her into his vehicle." "Well, if Abby was last seen at a bus stop a few miles away, then he definitely has a means of transportation," JJ says. "Hopefully the disposal site will tell us more," Spencer says as we walk away. Before we can head to Beth's disposal site, Hotch calls us to check the thrift shop. We go there and find both girls' clothes, and show the owner the crime scene photos. He confirmed the clothes they were found in were from the eighties, and purchased from his store. And then again before we could go to Beth's disposal sight, Rossi calls us and tells us there's been another murder, so we head there instead. "Again, he's disposing in an area frequented by homeless people," he says as we walk over. "This is equidistant between the last two dump sites," Spencer says. "He burned her tongue with the chemical this time," I say as I crouch and open her mouth. "So he removed her ability to taste," Rossi says. "Why would he do that?" the female detective asks. "Historically this type of torture was used to prevent someone from revealing a secret," Spencer answers. "Maybe she offended him," JJ says. "I wonder what that was like," Spencer says. "Her lips are extremely chapped," Rossi comments. "She was probably forced to repeatedly participate in some sort of kissing fantasy." "And then when things go awry, he takes the offending sense away," JJ says. "He tortured her in these clothes, which means the eighties are essential to his delusion." "Maybe that was when the rejection occurred," Rossi says. "And he held on to the clothes all these years." "And now he's attacking girls who remind him of women from that time," JJ observes. "He's fixated on her type and remakes them to fit his fantasy," Spencer says. "But why start now?" the detective asks. "Something probably triggered it, and instead of dealing with it, he's acting out," JJ answers, looking at Spencer and I. When we get back to the precinct, we're ready to deliver the profile. Spencer and I stand at the opposite end of the line from JJ and Emily. Once everyone is gathered around to listen, Hotch begins the profile with the physical description of the unsub. "We believe the unsub or unknown subject that we're looking for is a white male in his forties. This is someone who's reacting to rejection by a woman when he was a teenager in the 1980s," he says softly. "He's punishing his victims for their reactions to him by taking away their senses with sulfuric acid." "We believe our unsub could possibly work part-time as a janitor or a mechanic, which would give him access to this chemical," Rossi continues. "And after studying the disposal sites, we think it's likely that he is homeless. Now, how do we typically react toward the homeless? We judge them by their looks and smells," Morgan says. "It's this same negative reaction we believe that a woman had toward the unsub at some point in the eighties." "The unsub's fixation on this woman is now all-consuming. It's caused him to develop obsessive love disorder. He most likely has tunnel vision and believes that she holds the key to his happiness. He will stalk her in an attempt to win her back," Emily says. "He will do whatever it takes to be near is love interest. But her rejection will spiral him into a depression," I continue. "Which would lead to rape and murder of the surrogates who represent her," Spencer adds softly. "And it's only a matter of time before this rage and anger causes the unsub to go after her directly." "Spence, look we gotta talk about this," JJ says after the profile, following us to the conference room. "Nyssa, come on." "I don't want to talk about it," he says. "I get it, okay, you're disappointed with the way we handled Emily." "Listen, I have a lot going on, all right?" "You know what I think it is? You're mad that Hotch and I controlled our micro-expressions at the hospital and you weren't able to detect our deception," JJ says, causing Spencer to stop in his tracks. "Okay, that is so not what this is about," I glare at her and cross my arms. "You think it's about my profiling skills? Jennifer, listen, the only reason you were able to manage my perceptions is because I trusted you. I came to your house for ten weeks in a row crying over losing a friend, and not once did you have the decency to tell me the truth." "I couldn't." "You couldn't? Or you wouldn't?!" "No, I couldn't." "What if I started taking Dilaudid again? Would you have let me?" "You didn't." "Yeah, but he thought about it. He thought about it a lot.. He even started driving to the hospital to get some. One week after we left your house, he told me were going to make a stop first," I growled softly as I got in her face, eyes shining with unshed tears. "He was in so much pain. He just wanted it to stop, and he didn't know any other way. But then he pulled over and sobbed in my arms instead." "Spence, I'm sorry," "It's too late, all right?" "Reid," Emily calls to him. As Spencer turns on his heel to walk away I stand and glare at the blonde for a moment. Then I turn my back on her and follow him out of the conference room. I called out to him softly and he stopped walking. He stands there for a moment, shoulders tight and hands balled into fists. I take both of his hands and ease the tension out of them until they relax, then hold them in mine and study his face. "I can't believe she lied to our faces. For two and a half months, she said absolutely nothing. I thought she was our friend, I trusted her." "I know, Spencer, I get it. I trusted her too. I know I haven't been a profiler for as long as you. But I should have been able to know." He sits at a table in a different part of the precinct and looks over the file and his notes. After awhile of looking at everything, he seems to calm down some, and he's figured something out. He stands up and walks quickly back to the conference room to tell everyone else. "I don't think we're dealing with a typical homeless person. He's good with chemicals, owns a car. I think the only mistake in our profile was assuming there was something wrong with his physical composition, reducing him to some sort of stereotype." "You think it's only his mental state?" Rossi asks. "That makes a lot of sense, actually, babe," I say softly. "I think this guy might be smart enough to use his disability to his advantage so he comes across as harmless." "Then when he's alone and the victim rejects him, he goes off," Derek says. "What if he doesn't live on the street? What if he's in a halfway house?" JJ replies. "Garcia, I need a list of halfway houses and mental health centers in the unsub's comfort zone," Hotch says. "Okay. Five are being sent to your phones." "Which of those were around in the eighties, Garcia?" Derek asks. "There are two in your area." "Morgan and Prentiss, take the first. Dave and I will take the second," Rossi says. "What about us?" JJ asks. "Stay here and check ViCAP for similar M.O.s and signatures. Reid," he stops us. "If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me." "I can't. I didn't come to your house crying for ten weeks," Spencer says as he walks away. After a while Derek and Emily return from the first halfway house. I follow them just in time to hear Derek explain what happened. "So we interviewed the nineteen people released from the group home. None of them fit the profile." "Dave's still trying to locate the families." "Tammy Bradstone's parents just filed a report. Their daughter didn't return from homecoming last night." "Her face is similar to our three vics," Emily says. "She's about the same age," JJ says. "Well, the after party where she was last seen was smack in the comfort zone." "Where are her parents now?" Hotch asks. "They're at the house. We're bringing her friends in for questioning." "You head over there, we'll start the interviews here." "So kids spill out of the motel toward the cars. If Tammy walked this way, how could she disappear without anyone seeing her?" I say as Spencer and I walk through the crime scene a few minutes later. "Someone would have heard her scream," Spencer replies. "That's if she screamed. Unlike the last three abduction sites, this one is nowhere near public transportation. Maybe she knew the unsub." "Or thought she did. What if- what if Tammy was the target all along? That would explain the change in the M.O." "So whoever did this knew she was coming here." After a while when we're about to leave, Emily calls us and tells us about Cy Bradstone and his mechanic jobs. We drive to both locations and ask the owners if they've seen him lately. Both of them tell us they haven't seen him in a few days so we go the the Bradstone's. "Any luck?" Derek asks as he opens the door. "He hasn't been to either of the mechanics' shops in the past two months," Spencer says. "But the one on Fourth said a bunch of car batteries had gone missing," I add. Just then the Bradstone's home phone rings and we all look over at it. They go to answer it but Emily stops them so Penelope can track the call. A few seconds later Derek's phone rings and Penelope tolls us that the call is coming from a payphone. After it rings a few more times Emily allows Mrs. Bradstone to answer it. They had obviously discussed what to say and what not to say if Cy called. "Okay, go ahead. Just like we talked about." "Matt got arrested. They think that he hurt Tammy. Oh, god, Cy. I need you. I just- I- I need you to, uh, come over here and- I need you to talk. I need you to hold me. I- hurry. I have no one else to turn to. He's coming," she says after she hangs up. "Johnson, you and Prentiss stay with them. Morgan and I will get the front." "Lyla! Lyla. Shh... it's gonna be okay. Shh. It's gonna be okay," we hear Cy talking to Lyla, then Derek and Dave's voices. "Cy Bradstone! FBI! Put your hands where I can see them! Let me see your hands!" "How could you do this to me?" Cy yells at Lyla. "How could you do this to me?!" "Stop moving. Stop it!" After that things wrap up relatively quickly. Cy tells his brother where they can find Tammy. Derek and Emily rescue her. A few hours later we're on the jet on the way home. Spencer sits in one of the single seats reading a book, keeping me in his lap and running his fingers through my hair. At one point Emily sits in the other chair but Spencer ignores her for a while and keeps reading his book. "So, the surgeon said he believes he can restore feeling to Tammy's hands." "Good, we got there in time," he says without looking up. "I heard Mr. Bradstone wants to watch the tape." "People have an innate curiosity to see things in order to confirm them." "Oh, that explains why I'm going to Rossi's tomorrow night. I want to see if he really can cook. You guys coming?" "I don't know, what do you think babe?" I say as I straighten his tie. "I don't know. I'm not so sure we can make it." "Look, I know you're mad at us because you didn't tell you what really happened, and I understand that. But I promise you, we had no choice. You two mourned the loss of a friend," Emily says, then she sighs softly. "I mourned the loss of six. This whole thing gave me an ulcer. Please don't give me another one. Are you gonna go to Rossi's tomorrow?" "We'll see." When we get back to D.C. we head straight home and go to bed because we're tired. The next day we don't have anything to do but Spencer asks me if I want to go to a museum. We've been to every museum in DC but I love listening to him tell me, and anyone else who will listen, everything about the exhibits. When we're done at the museum we go to the ice cream place by our apartment and then head home. While we're eating I ask Spencer if he wants to go to Rossi's for dinner. He says he thinks he'd like to go, so we get ready a few hours later. I wear a purple cheetah print dress and pink converse, and Spencer wears dark jeans an a blue and green striped shirt. "Sorry we're late," he says as we walk in the house. "And this is why I cook alone." "So, uh, when do we get to drink the wine?" Emily asks. "Almost there. Okay. We start at the beginning. You eat what you cook, I'll supervise, but we're gonna do this all together. Just like a family. Now. Salud!" Rossi says as he picks up his own wine glass. He's got a couple fingers' whisky for me. Spencer and I cook our pancetta, and I put some spaghetti in a bowl. Then Spencer pours some olive oil over it, and I put parsley on top. We eat, drink and talk for the rest of the night, and it seems like Spencer has forgiven JJ and Emily. Rossi doesn't want anyone driving, so we all crash in empty rooms in his mansion. The next morning we eat breakfast and everything is back to normal.


End file.
